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1799.1

Review of New Publications.

Congrefs immediately difcarded all far ther reliance on negotiation, and began to prepare for defending by arms the rights and honour of the country." A tax, amounting to two millions of dollars, laid on lands, dwelling-houfes, and flaves, divided among the states, according to their respective numbers, including two-fifths of the flaves. "The hiftory of all ages proves that no oppreffion is fo dreadful as that of a foreign mafter. Of this bitter cup the Dutch, the Belgians, the Italians, the Swifs, and part of the Germans, are now drinking; and other nations will drink to the very dregs, unless, by a vigorous, timely, and combined refift: ance, they reprefs the progrefs of thefe deceitful and merciless dettroyers." (p. 21.) "In France the Conftitution is entirely fubverted; the Legislature perfectly enflaved; the right of election wholly annihilated; and a military defpotifm in the hands of the Directory firmly established. Such is the liberty which France has gained by feven years of civil war, by the laughter of two millions of her people, the utter fubverfion of property, the banishment of religion, the total corruption of morals and manners, and the deftruction of fo many monuments of human art and industry, both in her own territories and thofe of her neighbours." (p. 22.) Mr. H. inclines to think the military power, by which the people have been hitherto dazzled and kept blind to the miferies of their own fituation, is ap. proaching faft to the period of its decline, if not already arrived there. "Her vaft expences, fupported rather by domestic and extenfive plunder than by a regular lyftem of taxation, already exceed her means, as, it is faid, in the proportion of one-third, or a million of livres, about 200,000 dollars each day. This government fubfifts by plunder, and the fources of plunder are very foon exbaufted. Already its pecuniary embarraffments are exceffive. It with difficulty pays its army; its civil officers it does not pay at all. They fubfift by private plunder and corruption, as the government does by public. These embarraffments, from the nature of things, muft increafe. At length it will become impoffible to pay their armies, who will revolt or defert, and perhaps do both in part; then the government, which exifts not but by their fupport, muit fall to the ground. Strong fymptoms of this state of things

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have already appeared." (p. 23.) "The great neighbouring powers must be more and more alarmed. They muft oppofe, or be devoured. In the mean time, her exceflive tyranny, her infolent conduct, her exorbitant and infatiable exactions, must increase, day by day, the hatred and animofity of thofe nations over whom, by fraud or force, they obtained dominion; and they will, in all probability, receive with open arms, and aid with all their night, the armies which shall enter their country for the purpofe of attacking her. It was among the peafants of Germany, once her friends, that, after they had tafted the cup of her abominations, in her invafion of 1795-6, the found the moft deadly foes; and, most probably, it will be among the Swifs, the Ita lians, the Dutch, and Belgians, that, on the flighteft reverfe of fortune, the will find the moft dreadful implements of Divine vengeance." (p.23.) “Were France in poffeffion of England, the moft formidable bulwark against her power in the old world; and were Auftria, Ruffia, and Pruffia, humbled at her feet, as Spain and Sardinia are, Iftill fhould have no idea of yielding. After fighting her on the ocean to the laft,, and contending every inch of ground with her on the Atlantic shore, I fhould be for retiring, with the rem nant of the nation, beyond the moun. tains, or the M fifippi, and there, like the brave forefters who, for the love of freedom, penetrated thefe at that time inhofpitable wilds, opening to ourfelves, amidit defarts and their favage inhabitants, an afylum for felf-government and natural independence. This, in my mind, and, I have no doubt, in yours too, would be happinefs, compared with the dominion of a French proconful, who, under the name of a miritter, fhould dictate to our government, and inflently ride over the heads of our conflituted authorities, or place in power thofe among ourselves whofe worthleffnefs fhould render them fit and acceptable inftruments to his plea-, fure. That he will attempt to invade us, unless her affairs in Europe keep her too fully employed, I think highly probable. The only way to avert the danger is, to be prepared to meet it; to fhew a good countenance, make vigorous preparations, and fland ready to give her a good reception. Seeing this, the may probably keep away." (p. 24.) –

210. Ob

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Review of New Publications.

210. Observations on the Debates of the American Congrefs, and on the Addrefs prefented to General Washington on bis Refignation; with Remarks on the Timidity of the Language held towards France, the Seizure of American Veffels by Great Britain and France, and on the relative Situations of thofe Countries with America. By Peter Porcupine. To which are prefixed, General Washington's Address to Congress, and the Anfwers of the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives.

WHILE R. G. Harper pleads the caufe of American Independence in the cabinet, honest Peter Porcupine reechoes his fentiments through the community in language adequate to their understandings. That there have been favourers of French principles even in America, which purchased, at fo dear a price, independence from the mother country, is not more ftrange than true; and that they have offered that incenfe to the French Republick which would d'grace humanity to think of, flattering it as a free and enlightened country.

"In that free country, France, the parent dares not yield protection to his child, nor the child to his parent, without the previous confent of fome petty underftrapping defpot. Man poffelfes nothing; his property belongs to a mob of tyrants, who call themselves the nation, who hold his labour and his very carcafe in a state of requifition. If his griefs break out into complaint, he is dragged to a tribunal, where no evidence is required. A thrug, a look, a tear, or a figh, betrays him. To repine at the cruelty of his fate, is to be fufpected; and to be fufpected, is death.

"We need not ftretch our view acrofs the Atlantic for fpecimens of French liberty; we may fee enough without quitting our own country, or even our houfes. The cockade proclamation of Citizen Adet is at once an infult to the United States, and an act of abominable tyranny on the unfortunate French who have taken a refuge in them. They must not only fuffer shame for their country, but must bear about them the figu of its difgrace, the livery of the infamous Orleans. They must not only be defpoiled of their wealth, and driven from their homes and their families, but muft drag their chains into diftant lands. It is not enough that they fhould be branded with the name of flave; they must wear the fymbol of their flavery, and that, too, exactly where other men wear the fymbol of courage and honour! Will not the people of America bluth to think that their reprefentatives were afraid to affert that they enjoyed a degree of freedom fuperior

to this?

"Of the enlightened people, now called the French nation, not one out of five

[Nov.

As to

hundred can fpell his own name.
religion, four years ago they were seen
kneeling with their faces prone to the
earth, blubbering out their fins, and be-
feeching abfolution from the men whom,
in a year afterwards, they degraded, in-
fulted, mutilated, and murdered. After
changing the Catholic worship, at the
command of one gang of tyrants, for a
worship that was neither Catholic nor
Proteftant; at the command of another,
they abandoned all worship whatsoever,
and publicly rejoiced that the foul of man
was like that of the beaft.' A third gang
orders them to believe that there is a God:
inftantly the fubmiffive brutes acknowledge
his existence, and fall on their knees at the
fight of Robespierre, proclaiming the de-
cree with as much devotion as they for

merly did at the elevation of the facred hoft.

"Politically confidered, they are equally enlightened. Every fucceffive faction has been the object of their huzzas in the day of its power, and of their execrations in that of its fall. They crowded to the bar of the Convention to felicitate Robespierre on his escape from the poignard of a woman; and, in less than fix weeks afterwards, danced round his fcaffold, and mocked his dying groans. First, they approve of a conftitution with an hereditary monarch, whofe perfon they declare inviclable and facred, and fwear to defend him with their lives. Next, they murder this monarch, and declare themselves a republick, to be governed by a fingle chamber of delegates. This fecond conftitution they destroy, and frame a third, with two chambers and five co-equal kings. After having spent five years in making war, in the name of Liberty and Equality, upon arms, ftars, garters, croffes, and every other exterior fign of fuperiority of rank, they very. peaceably and tamely fuffer their masters to dub themselves with what titles they pleafe, and exclufively to affume garbs and badges of diftinction far more numerous than those which formerly existed in France.

"But, the circumftance beft calculated to give a juft idea of their baseness of spirit and fwinith ignorance is, their fanctioning a conftitution which declares that they fhall elect the members of their affemblies, and then fubmitting to a decree obliging them to chufe two-thirds of the number out of the Convention. Nor was this all; the Convention, not content with enfuring the re-election of these two thirds, referved to itself the power of rejecting fuch members of the other third as it might not approve of! And yet the wife Mr. Parker calls the French a free and enlightened people,' and very piously wishes that, Kingcraft may be done away, and that republicanifm may enlighten the whole earth!The House of Reprefentatives were afraid

even

1799.]

Review of New Publications.

even to hint that this nation of poor, cajoled, cozened, bullied, bamboozled devils were lefs enlightened than the people of America!” (p. 23—25.)

But, that America should fee her intereft fo little as to think of preferring a connexion with Erance to one with England, is beyond all conception.

"The neceffity of commercial connexion between Great Britain and America is fo loudly and unequivocally afferted by the unerring voice of Experience, that nothing but the blindest ignorance, or the most unconquerable prejudice, could poffibly have called it in queftion. Immediately after the fufpenfion of this commerce, caused by the revolutionary war, it was on both fides refumed with more ardour than ever, notwithstanding all the arts that France and her partizans employed to prevent it. In vain did poor Louis iffue edicts to encourage his people to fupplant their rivals; in vain did he take off his duties and offer premiums; in vain did friend Briffot coax the Quakers, and citizen Madifon fpeechify the Congrefs: in fpite of all their fine promifes, cajoling, and wheedling; in spite of the mortification of Britain, and the more powerful prejudice of America; no fooner was the obftacle removed by the return of peace, than, without a treaty of friendship and commerce, without any other stimulus than mutual intereft, confidence, and inclination, the two countries rushed together like congenial waters that had been separated by an artificial dyke.

"It is this natural connexion with Britain, the British capital, which a confidence in the stability of the government invites hither, together with the credit that the merchants of that country give to thofe of this; a credit which British merchants alone are either willing' or able to give; that forms the great fource of American wealth. Mr. Smith from Maryland, the polite Mr. Smith, who called the British

fea-robbers and monsters,' incautiously acknowledged, in the fame breath, that these 'monsters' gave a stationary credit to this country, amounting to twenty millions of dollars. Grateful gentleman! A very great part of this credit is given for a twelvemonth at leaft; fo that the fimple intereft on it amounts to one million two hundred thousand dollars annually; an advantage to this country that might have merited, in return, fomething more palatable' than 'fearobbers and monfters.'

"If America could obtain what the ftands in need of (which the cannot) from any other country than Britain, from what country on earth could the obtain them on terms like these? The capacity of France, in the brightest days of her commercial profperity, was fairly tried. Correspond

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ences were opened with her merchants; but what was the refult? The total ruin of them, and of all those who were concerned with them. They are no more; they are forgotten. Their trade could be but the wear of their merchandize. equaled in fhortness of duration by nothing

"To fay, as fome of the French faction have done, that America does not want the manufactures of Britain, is an infult on the national difcernment little short of the blunderbufs of my old friend Citizen Adet. Let any man take a view of his drefs (when he is dreffed like a man) from head to foot; from the garments that he wears to fea, to plough, to market, or to church, down to those with which he steps into bed; let him look round his fhop, and round the shops of his neighbours; let him examine his library, his bed-chamber, his parlour, and his kitchen; and then let him fay how great a part of all he fees, of all that is indifpenfable, useful, or convenient; let him fay how great a part of all this comes from Great Britain, and how fmall a one from France, or any other country; and then, if he be fool enough, let him fay, with the Gallican faction, that we stand in no need of the manufactures of Britain.

"The commercial connexion between this country and Great Britain is full as neceffary as that between the baker and miller; while the connexion between America and France may be compared to one between the baker and the milliner, or toyman. France may furnish us with looking-glaffes; but, without the aid of Britain, we shall be ashamed to fee' oprfelves in them, unless the fans culottes can perfuade us that thread-bare beggary is a beauty. France may deck the heads of our wives and daughters (but, by-the-bye, fhe shan't thofe of mine) with ribbons, gauze, and powder; their ears with bobs, their cheeks with paint, and their heels with gaudy party-coloured filk, as rotten as the hearts of the manufacturers; but Great Britain muft cover their and our bodies. When the rain pours down and washes the rofe from the cheek; when the bleak North-wefter blows through the gauze, then it is that we know our friends. Great Britain muft wrap us up warm, and keep us all decent, fnug, and comfortable, from the child in fwaddling-cloaths to its tottering grandfire. France may send us cockades, as he does (or has done) in abundance; but Great Britain muft fend us hats to stick them on. France may furnith the ruffle, but Great Britain muft fend us the thirt; and the commerce of the latter nation is just as much more neceffary to this country than that of the former, as a good decent fhirt is more neceffary than a paltry dia. clout of a ruffle." (p. 30-33.)

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